Decode
by jaa162
Summary: "How did we get here? Well I used to know you so well..."-Paramore. While most 18-year-olds deal with moving onto college or the real world, Melanie Montgomery is tackling bigger things. Superpowers and a baby are on the top of the list, along with someone who threatens her life and very lives of those she loves. Sequel to Kryptonite
1. Chapter 1:Surprises

**AN: So I present to you the sequel to Kryptonite, Decode! It was a little tricky to start, but (after numerous rewrites) I finally finished this chapter. I know its short, but the next chapter will be a little longer. The storyline for the sequel has been the most challenging to write, but I think I know what I want to do now. I am also open to suggestions. Enjoy Chapter 1!**

**Chapter 1-**Surprises

"Here's your mail, Mr. Stevenson," I called out as I handed a stack of mail to a tall, burly man with a thick mustache.

He nodded at me and continued on his way. I continued to hand out mail and answer phone calls until Carter approached the roundabout desk, followed by his older sister, Leslie.

"Ready to go home, Melanie?" Leslie asked me sweetly.

I nodded and gathered my things. I followed the two siblings out of Simmons Enterprises and into the black SUV that awaited us in the parking garage. Carter opened the door for me and I climbed inside.

During the ride, I remained silent while Leslie and Carter discussed facts, figures, and employees they were thinking of letting go. I stared out the window, my mind wondering what Matt, Steve, and Andrew were up to at the moment.

Two months had passed since I boarded that jet and ended up in Tampa, Florida. I learned that the boys were sent to a secluded temple in Tibet to discover inner peace and all that jazz. The Guardians were also trying to get them to control their powers better. _More control=less nosebleeds._

From the several long-distance phone calls Steve and I shared, they were doing well, but Andrew tended to rebel from time to time. I suspected as such, but he was trying for me since he didn't know where I was.

None of them knew really, and it was for my safety. The Guardians and us were more or less walking on a tightrope, waiting for someone to fall off. I was the leverage on both sides that kept everything from going into utter chaos.

I tried not to think about it, not let the stress get to me. I was 12 weeks along now, and the baby was developing nicely. That was one thing to be happy about, but then everything else would weigh me down.

_Will the baby have powers like mine? Like Andrew's? Will I be able to be a good mother? How will I tell my dad?_ These and many more plagued my mind as of recent.

"Mel? Mel, are you okay?" Leslie asked me. Leslie and I had become friends since I arrived. She was one of the few people that I could talk to about this, and not think I was crazy.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about my dad. He doesn't know about what happened in Seattle or the baby. Plus, he keeps asking me to visit him," I replied in a low voice.

Leslie and Carter exchanged glances, which was like looking in a magic mirror since they looked so much alike, except for the blond bob on Leslie's head.

"Actually, I was talking to Carter about that the other day, and we agreed that you should go visit your dad for a while. You know, to get away from this mess and clear your head."

"Thanks, but I don't think you can take vacations when your interning," I answered.

"Yes, but we offered that internship to keep you busy for the summer. But we think that it's best for you to take a break since you've been working so hard." Carter nodded in agreement.

I considered it for a moment and said, "Fine, you're the boss lady."

Leslie smiled, reached into her briefcase and pulled out a plane ticket.

I took it and looked at the date. The plane was to leave tonight.

_Oh, crap._

**AN: Yep, so Melanie's off to Germany to visit good ol' dad. I wanted to explore that relationship for a bit since I didn't get to in Kryptonite. Don't worry, Matt, Andrew, and Steve will be returning soon. Also, I've started a poll on my profile so you all can vote on what the gender of the baby will be. Please Review!**


	2. Chapter 2:Redemption

**Chapter 2**-Redeemption

"What do you mean Andrew's gone?" I whispered into my cell phone frantically in a corner of the basement that was doubling as my room.

I had been in Germany for over a week now, and had been enjoying myself up until Steve called.

"Yes, he's gone. No one knows where he went. He and Jason got into it this morning, and after things calmed down, Andrew took off. We've been looking for him for hours now," Steve explained.

"Steve, I can't deal with this right now. I'm visiting Dad and he still doesn't even know I'm pregnant. But, I think Claudia is starting to get suspicious."

"You mean, his fiancé?"

"Well, wife now since they got married a while back. But yes, I think she knows. She already has two kids, and her sister has almost as many kids as the Octomom. I think she knows a pregnant woman when she sees her."

"Well, why don't you go ahead and tell him then? Don't you think he'll be pissed when you come home for Christmas with a baby on your hip?"

"Steve, let me worry about that. You guys just focus on finding Andrew. Oh, tell Matt I said hi. I miss you guys."

"I miss you too, Mel. And I will. Bye."

I hung up and slumped against the wall. Steve did have a point; by the time I see my dad again, I will have a newborn with me. Plus, Claudia kept eyeing me and asking questions about what was up with me. I thought back to when we were sitting out on the patio yesterday.

"_So are you excited to be turning eighteen?" Claudia asked me as she took a sip from her wine glass. A light breeze ruffled her long, brown hair and her hazel eyes seemed to look through me._

"_Yeah, I am. It's kinda nice to have my birthday in July. Especially around Independence Day. There's fireworks, food, relatives, and I get a cake and presents. What more could a girl ask for?" I smiled._

_Claudia laughed lightly, but then her smile faded a little. "Melanie, can I ask you a question?"_

_I nodded. "Is there something going on with you? You just seem…off lately."_

_I panicked for a quick second, wondering if I let on about something. Luckily, I hadn't had a vision since I'd arrived, and I hadn't been throwing up either. _

"_No, I feel fine. Why do you ask?"_

_Claudia shrugged. "Well, you've been eating a lot more than you normally do when you visit, and you been sleeping a lot longer than normal. Plus, you have been looking quite tired. To be honest, I would say that you're pregnant."_

_I nearly choked on my lemonade. She was more observant than I thought. "WHAT! No! Of course not! It's just-just…this new birth control I'm on. I just started it so I'm, like, all over the place. You know side effects. Tomorrow, I might be bald."_

_Claudia didn't look convinced, but nevertheless dropped the subject. _

Since then, I have storing snacks under the bed and eating no more than two plates of food. I wanted to be honest, but I was afraid at what might happen, what questions it would lead to. What answers I would have to give.

I sighed and went to lie down on the pull-out couch. There was a knock on my door, and my dad poked his head in.

Xxx

_**Third Person POV**_

Andrew didn't know what came over him except for the fact that he had to get out of there before he ripped Jason's head off. Jason and the rest of the Guardians had been trying to conform Andrew to their ways, stating that inner peace and tranquilly was the key to overcoming the physical exertion caused by their powers.

But Andrew thought that it was a bunch of bullshit.

He was the Apex Predator, still. He didn't follow anyone else's rules, except for the ones he had written. Andrew sighed as he sat perched on the snow-capped mountain near the temple where he was being 'trained'. So, Andrew took this time, this welcomed silence, to deliberate some things.

Jason had once called him a time bomb just waiting to go off. The rage within him still felt as if it was simmering just below the surface, and it was only a matter of time before he gave in to it again. He felt like his entire being had been cracked and pasted back together with a weak glue that would melt with too much heat and pressure.

However, he tried to think of many things, when his dark thoughts felt as if they would overtake him. He thought of his mother, who now lay buried in the ground. That was the most powerful one. He thought of his father, the bastard who had blamed him, of all people, for her sudden death.

He thought of his Matt and Steve, his best friend and cousin, who were like brothers to him. They had been keeping him sane since they had been here, reminiscing about the old times when all they did was play pranks. Andrew smiled slightly when he remembered Steve's suggestion to play pranks on some of the Monks. Then, he sighed. Despite the situation, he loved them just the same. It was a strange realization.

And then there was _her._

Andrew had never felt so connected to someone as much as he did to Melanie. It was as if she could sense when he was at his weakest, then she would be there for him. He remembered the times after he had put that trucker in the hospital, her smiles were sad, but eyes hopeful, that she'd pull him along, forcing him to go one more day without hurting anyone.

One day closer to his redemption.

_His redemption._

It seemed like a foolish dream, something impossible even; but when she had looked at him that way, like in spite of the pain he had been through, he was still... _worthy_. It eased that threatening chaos from consuming him, for just a little while. They were connected, they always would be, and it was too late to sever it now.

But Andrew wanted to be strong as well; be powerful. Then, Melanie's words would haunt him, "_I can't be with you if you hurt one of us."_

Well, she couldn't have both, he thought. He was the Apex Predator and always would be, no matter what. It was like asking a lion not to eat a rabbit.

Andrew snapped out of his thoughts when he saw several figures flying toward his new hiding spot. Andrew guessed that the Guardians wouldn't take his latest attempt to rebel lightly, but then he smiled to himself as he marked off another day on his calendar. One day closer to be with Melanie again. _One day closer to his escape._

Xxx

"So how's the job going?" My father asked me as we took a walk down an empty street near the house.

I had to crane my neck to look up at him; he was so much taller than me. At 5'11 and 200 pounds of pure muscle, my dad was pretty intimidating. However, he always had a soft spot for me, but a strict way of doing things.

"It's not really a job. It's an internship. Simmons Enterprises is one of the most impressive Fortune 500 companies out there. You know, the President and Vice-President of the company are brother and sister, and no older than 26?"

"Wow that is very impressive, sweetheart. But was it really worth it to skip graduation for?"

"Dad," I groaned, "I still graduated from high school. They just had to mail me my diploma is all since I completed my senior project."

Dad steered me around a corner and stroked the stubble on his dark skin. "Well, what's this I hear about you taking online classes in the fall? I thought that you were going to NYU."

I sighed. "I changed my mind. If I stay with the internship, I could have a job at their company or a good recommendation letter for any job that I apply to. It's lucky that I even got this internship at all." _Plus, I mentally added, my priorities have changed. _

Dad eyed me the same way Steve does when he knows that I'm hiding something. I wanted to tell him the truth, tell him everything, but my dad worked for the military, and therefore, the government. I might've as well put myself in a straight jacket if I told.

"Dad, you have to trust me. In a few days, I'll be eighteen. I have to make the right decisions for me, even if you don't agree with them."

Dad sighed, and said, "Fine, but I just want you to be happy. I don't want this to define you for the rest of your life. I just want you to make the right choices."

I nodded, and murmured, "Well, I think I'm starting to."

**AN: Please Review!**


	3. Chapter 3:Happy Birthday

**Chapter 3**-Happy Birthday

Considering it was the Fourth of July weekend, getting a flight back to Tampa was a lot more difficult than I thought. However, Leslie came through for me and got me an overnight flight right after my birthday.

When I walked through the front door of Carter's mansion, I was super-tired and wanted nothing but sleep.

But someone turned on the lights and shouted "Surprise!" I nearly jumped ten feet in the air.

"Um, what's going on?" I asked as I set down my duffel bag and purse.

Leslie, dressed more for a cocktail party, approached me and announced, "It's for you, silly. Since you spent you're birthday with your dad, we thought we'd surprise you when you got back. Happy 18th birthday, Melanie!"

"Oh," was all I could say before Leslie gave me a tight embrace. Then, her housekeeper and former nanny, Mrs. Norberry, a tiny, elderly woman with sweet eyes, hugged me as well.

The rest of the party consisted of people I had encountered at work, waiters, hors d'oeuvres, and I got tons of presents, mostly baby stuff, like diapers, bottles, formula, even a crib. I glared at the Simmons siblings the whole night for letting that detail slip.

Finally, Leslie took over as hostess so that I could slip away to my room to sleep. I was pretty sure that I was about to pass out any moment now if I didn't make it to my bed.

However, as I got closer to my room, this weird feeling started to spread through my body, like I was being pulled by an invisible cord.

I let it lead me straight to my room. I slowly opened, nervous about what was behind the door. But once I turned on the light, the room was empty, but the window was open. I closed it slowly, and peered outside.

Nothing out of the ordinary, except for some party guests who decided to go skinny-dipping. I grimaced and closed the drapes.

I sighed when I climbed into the bed, sinking into the soft mattress. I hadn't even bothered to change out of my t-shirt and jeans.

I closed my eyes and smiled slightly. Suddenly, the bed shifted, and someone wrapped their arms around me. Immediately, I tensed up, my mind alert.

My mystery guest only snuggled closer and sniffed my hair, their hot breath on my neck. I took a deep breath and shifted so that I could see their face.

I clapped my hands and the lights came on. I gasped and crawled out of the bed as fast as I could, my heart pounding in my chest.

Andrew smiled and climbed out of the bed. I backed up into the wall, figuring out a way to escape. And I could tell that Andrew knew it, too.

I closed my eyes as he crept closer, waiting for my imminent death. But nothing happened.

I opened them and stared right into his crystal blue eyes that could read the depths of my soul. My hands flew protectively to my stomach.

Andrew didn't say anything for a while, but finally, he spoke.

"Happy birthday, Mel."

I think I passed out after that.

**AN: Sorry about the shortness of this chapter, but Andrew is back! And he and Mel have a LOT to talk about. The baby gender poll is still up BTW, but I'm gonna close it by the fifth or sixth chapter. So review and vote!**


	4. Chapter 4: Reunion

**An: Sorry it took so long. I'm gonna try to update at least once a week. I'm working on a summer project as of now, and I'm also working on several other stories. Also, I wasn't sure if Andrew was in character enough for this chapter. I didn't want him to be angry as so much as confused so I rewrote this chapter several times. I hope you like it and now the plot can start moving along. As for the baby poll, girl is in the lead!**

**Chapter 4**- Reunion

When I woke up, I found myself lying on the roof of an old warehouse building. There was no doubt that Andrew had brought me here, and I cringed at everything we had to talk about. He wouldn't be able to stay here, since it would take all of one phone call to figure out that we were missing.

I rubbed my eyes and Andrew was in front of me in an instant, looking at me like a concerned parent. He helped me stand up and I asked, "Andrew, do you realize what you've done by coming here? What are you doing here anyways?"

Andrew answered, "I don't care about them. I had to see you. I had to make sure you were okay."

"Andrew, you have to leave."

"No, don't think that you can save me and try to tell me what to do, Mel. I came here on my own. I'm sick of them. I'm sick of everyone trying to tell me how to be in control. _I am in control._"

With the streetlight hitting the right side of his face, Andrew looked quite menacing, especially now that his hair was longer. I took a step back. "It's not like that," I said, surprisingly calm, "You're just trying to end your exile, aren't you? I don't really know what you are supposed to do; but I wouldn't want to be a reason for it to be longer."

"What are you saying?"

"You are breaking the alliance that we made with Carter and the Guardians. You're supposed to stay away from here. Far away, because they see you as a threat; someone dangerous. You see these powers as a gift, but they see it as a weapon."

I continued on, "It's the difference between giving someone a drink and giving an alcoholic a drink. The drink itself isn't bad... it's where it leads."

"Am I the alcoholic?"

"More or less. But I just don't want this to get out of hand, Andrew. I don't need the stress. The doctor told me that too much stress isn't healthy for me."

Andrew paused and looked at me. I realized my slip and covered my face in embarrassment. "Why? What's wrong with you?"

"It's…nothing."

"Tell me, Mel." Andrew was full-on glaring at me now, and I sighed. I had to tell him anyways since I was going to get big soon.

"I'm pregnant, and it's yours."

The only sounds that could be heard were the cars below us as well as the occasional siren sound of a police car or ambulance. My eyes were still covered so I was sure that Andrew had flown away. But when I opened my eyes slightly, he was staring at me with his mouth open.

I put my hand over his and begged, "Please say something. Please. I'm scared and I can't do this by myself."

Andrew got up and paced around the roof, his long trench coat trailing his every movement. Finally he groaned, "This can't be HAPPENING!"

I stood up, "Well, it is happening, and I need you to do your job so that we can be together for this baby. I know you hate this, but do it for me. You are trying so hard not be like your dad, to prove that you're a better man than that. And you still can."

Andrew didn't say anything for a long time and I said, "Just take me home. I'm done with this."

"So this is it? You just want to drop this?"

"No, I just want you to be alive when this is all over."

Xxx

When we returned to the mansion, it was eerily quiet. Something didn't feel right about it.

"I think you should leave. Something doesn't feel right."

Andrew sighed and nodded. "Mel, I just want you to know that we'll figure this out. It's just hard. But I'm gonna be there for both of you, I promise."

I smiled and he kissed my forehead before taking off out the window. I locked it and climbed into bed.

Xxx

Over the next couple of days, I just carried on my life as if nothing happened. I didn't want to give anyone any ammunition to use for later.

However, my cravings were only getting stranger as the days went on. "Here's your jar of peanut butter and that bowl of pickles you wanted," Mrs. Norberry said with a disgusted face as she handed the tray to me.

"Thanks. It's so weird but I can't stop eating it," I chimed as I dipped a pickle into the peanut butter.

"Yes, I can see that." We laughed before being interrupted by Leslie, who seemed quite dishelmed.

Leslie stopped for a second to catch her breath, but she managed to breath out, "We…got…trouble."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

Leslie straightened up, "I mean, we need to get out of here. Fast."

**AN: Please Review and keep voting! Poll's gonna close soon!**


	5. Chapter 5: Destination:Georgia

**AN: Yeah, I couldn't help myself. Once the ball started rolling, I couldn't stop it. Thanks to **theapexpredat0r** and CuteSango07 for reviewing the last chapter. I also wanna thank everyone else who's reviewed or fav/story alerted this. Enjoy Chapter 5!**

**Chapter 5**- Destination: Georgia

"Why?" I asked, half a pickle still in my mouth.

"Because, I found these," Leslie answered, pulling out a manila folder from under her arm and placing it on the bed in front of me.

Leslie, Mrs. Norberry, and I shuffled through the documents and they all contained blueprints, layouts, and storyboards of tanks, guns, and other machinery. "What is all this? I don't understand," I spoke up.

Leslie lowered her voice to barely above a whisper and said, "I found this in Carter's office. I wasn't sure about them until I saw an interesting email regarding a meeting last week with BioTech Engineering. I think Carter is developing some kind of bioweapon with them."

_Carter's developing a weapon?_ Sure, the guy didn't sit right with me, but he wasn't evil. But then, again… "Why would he be developing a weapon? What's he after?" Mrs. Norberry asked.

That's when I came across a blueprint for a machine for molecular absorption. There was also a sticky note on it that read: **All subjects died within 3.5 seconds during process.** _Oh, shit… _"Me. Us. Everyone," I gasped.

"Let me see," Leslie murmured as she snatched the blueprint away from my frozen hands.

"OH. MY. GOD!" Leslie yelled as she came to the same conclusion that I did.

Mrs. Norberry just looked more confused until Leslie handed her the blueprint. "No, he can't. He's not-"she tried to say.

I finished, "Yes. He's gonna use our powers to make those weapons. And if he succeeds, he just might kill us."

After we figured out Carter's plans, Leslie, Mrs. Norberry, and I started packing. I just started grabbing clothes, mine and the baby's, and stuffing them in a large duffel bag that used to belong to Mr. Norberry.

Leslie called Simmons Enterprises to take some "vacation time" off and to make sure that Carter was still in his investors meeting. I asked, "Wait, why are you coming?"

"Because my uncle owned some property in Georgia, and even though he's been dead for about 20 years, it's still under his name. We barely ever stay there, so it's the perfect place to stay until we get to the bottom of this. Plus, I also found numerous videos of them testing some of the weapons. No telling what Carter has stashed away in the house."

"Who's to say that he doesn't already have spies or whatnot around here? Do you think we'll make it out in time?" I asked as I tried to zip up the bag.

Mrs. Norberry had disappeared downstairs to make sure that there was a van in the underground car garage for us to use. "I'm not sure. I knew he was up to something. He's been so quiet and secretive lately. I knew something was up. But I'm calling Dad, and letting him know what's going on," Leslie replied as she stepped out of the room with a suitcase.

I finished packing and made my way downstairs, which was difficult since the bag was so heavy. As I rounded a corner, Leslie texted me, saying that Carter was on his way home for lunch break.

When I tried to text her back with my free hand, I bumped into a Suit. I stumbled and he apologized. I nervously tried to pass until I heard someone murmured to the man on a hand radio. He looked back at me and I knew I was in trouble.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going!" he yelled as he tried to catch up to me.

I almost made it to the staircase leading to the garage, but he grabbed me, causing me to drop my bag. "OW! LET ME GO!" I screamed.

He only pulled harder and it was starting to hurt since I was pulling myself in the opposite direction. Suddenly, the arm holding onto me burst into flames and he let go, screaming and running around trying to put out the fire that was rapidly spreading to his body.

I took this as an opportunity to leave and picked up the bag. Mrs. Norberry was already in the driver's seat of the mini-van and Leslie ran over to help me with my bag. The fire alarms started to go off and I yelled, "That's our cue to leave!"

Once the bag was in the trunk, I climbed into the backseat area and closed the door, while Leslie hopped into the passenger seat upfront. Mrs. Norberry hit the accelerator and we started to make our way out of the garage.

I still hadn't managed to buckle my seat belt before she merged onto the highway. "Mrs. Norberry, will you slow down? There's a baby on board!" Then, I ducked when I heard the sound of a gunshot hit the bumper of the van.

"What the hell? They were shooting at us?" I asked, frantically.

Leslie shifted in her seat to look out the back and nodded her head. "Yeah, they were trying to stop us from leaving. You were right. Carter must've had the place bugged or something. Are you okay, though?"

I sat up slowly and leaned back on the seat to catch my breath. "Yeah, I'm fine. I mean, we're fine," I corrected.

"So where are we headed?" Mrs. Norberry asked Leslie.

Leslie chimed, "Good ol' Augusta, Georgia."

Xxx

It was an eight-hour drive from Tampa to Augusta, but it ended up being about ten due to all of the stops we had to make for gas, food, and for bathroom breaks (especially since it seems that I have the bladder of a puppy these days.) But, we finally reached the new "safe house".

It was isolated about 20 minutes outside of town, and we had to drive along a long dirt road to get to the house. The house itself was 2 stories with an attic, a gourmet kitchen, a pool, and what was formerly a farm behind it.

Mrs. Norberry parked in front on the curved driveway and I got out as quickly as I could. "Make way!" I called out as I bypassed Leslie, who was unlocking the front door.

My Converses squeaked against the hardwood floor and I found a small bathroom near the kitchen. Once I stepped out, I finally took in my new "home".

There were various deer and bears mounted on the wall, a huge fireplace in the living room that had a flat-screen sat atop it, an office with a working computer, a den which was lined with bookcases, 2 bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, and 3 bedrooms and 2 more bathrooms downstairs.

The kitchen was my favorite part, the only part of the house that felt more modern than rustic. Everything was clean and brand-new, since according to Leslie, they had to remodel it after a grease fire a couple years back.

"What do you think? It's pretty nice, huh? My uncle used to love it here," Leslie said as I checked out the empty refrigerator.

"Speaking of which, where is your uncle now?"

Her eyes glanced downward and she replied sadly, "He's dead."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I-I didn't know," I murmured.

"No, it's okay. It was almost 20 years ago, but he was like a father to me and Carter."

I decided to change the subject. "So, yeah, we drove all the way up here, but there's no food in this fridge. And I don't know about you, but I need to eat for two, you know."

Mrs. Norberry walked in, "It's a good thing you're not having twins."

"Oh, don't even go there, woman. If I had to eat for three, then I would be on the highway right now, selling my kidneys for cash if it meant that I could get a two #1's from McDonald's."

Xxx

**Third Person POV**

"I'm sorry, Mr. Simmons, but we can't conduct any experiments until the prototype is reconstructed. The atoms we used were too unstable and nearly caused an explosion. We cannot risk it," a semi-bald man with glasses explained to Carter, who was at a hidden underground lab outside of Tampa.

"No, you don't understand what's on the line here. Money, time, everything. I need this up and running by the time November hits!" Carter growled.

"Look, I understand, but November is only a few months away. We'll need to run several more tests before we can put another human being back in there without them dying. Unless…you don't want them alive by the time the process is complete?" the man raised his eyebrows at the young man.

Carter sighed, "Look, BioTech's uppers are running the show; I'm just an investor here. But you're wasting _my_ time and _my_ money on something that _you_ think is not ready. We want our line out on the market by next fall at least."

The man nodded, "I understand that as well. But, I just have this feeling that there is another reason for this deadline. A prospective subject, perhaps?"

"Yes, a girl. She's due this winter so we need to get cracking because they want it finished around her due date."

"I don't think it'll be up and ready by then, let alone to be used on a newborn. The chances of the child dying will be substantially greater than the mother and father combined. The technology is too raw and unstable. But, I'll reconvene with my advisors and we'll come up with something for you soon."

Carter smiled, "Thank you, that's all I need to hear. You're dismissed, Dr. Stein."

Dr. Stein nodded and left toward his office. Carter pulled out his cell phone to send a text message to his superior. "**Under reconstruction. Will be ready when she's ready ;)."**

**AN: Matt, Andrew, and Steve WILL return in the next chapter! It makes me feel good to know that I'm doing something right with this story when you guys review. But I wanna know how you guys feel about some of the other characters so far, or what you think is gonna happen next. I wouldn't have made the other characters if they didn't have a purpose, and everyone in this story has a purpose. Poll-Girl is still in the lead, as of now. But I'm extending the voting to about the eighth chapter.**

**Oh, and on June 23, (which is also MY BIRTHDAY!) there's gonna be Blackout Day, so don't email, post, read, review or do anything related. They wanna ban/take down stories with sex, violence, etc. in them, and uh, this story has (or will have) that later on. Hell, the reason for **_**this**_** story is due to the sex and violence of the last story. DON'T LET THEM SILENCE US!**

**Finally, you know what to do, review!**

theapexpredat0r**-I didn't mean to make you sad. But I will try to reply more often to my reviewers. It's just sometimes I stay up late writing that by the time I post a chapter, I just don't have the time. Anyways, I'm glad that you liked Andrew's reaction to the baby news. I wasn't sure if that should be his reaction, but due to the situation, I figured that he would be more shocked and confused than happy. So I'm looking forward to exploring that part of him that is slowly coming to terms with being a father, as well as the other half that still wants to be our beloved Apex Predator. Or maybe if he should just give up on that now?**

CuteSango07**- When I did the whole peanut butter/pickles thing, I just picked two things that I would never eat together. I know that you eat weird foods when you're pregnant (I'm the oldest; most of my cousins and my sisters are under 10.) so I'm glad that I got part right. I'm doing my research to make sure that things are accurate enough with the whole pregnancy thing. I'm glad you like how things are going. I'm trying to step out of Mel's POV with this one, since the story's bigger and there's more characters and conflict. It makes the story a little more well-rounded, in my opinion. **


	6. Chapter 6: Girl Advice

**Chapter 6-**Girl Advice

Even though it was risky, it was a necessary risk to go to the nearby WalMart. If we were to go into hiding, then we would need sustenance, especially for me.

When we got back to the house, it seemed to be as exactly as we left it. That is, until we started to unload groceries and heard voices coming from inside. Leslie and I exchanged nervous glances, and I yelled, "I'm not afraid of you, you know!"

"Well, I'm not exactly the Boogeyman, Mel," Steve's voice answered as he walked out. I dropped the bag and ran to him. He scooped me up and swung me around, just like in the movies.

I pulled back and looked at him. He was growing some stubble and some hair had grown on his head, but he looked great. "Wow, you look pretty good. You even have hair on your face."

I rubbed his stubble and he lightly patted my hand away. "Don't do that."

I rolled my eyes and screamed when someone tickled me from behind. "Ohmygod, Matt!" I squealed. Matt laughed and hugged me, too. His hair was longer and shaggier like Andrews, and it seemed as if he had bulked up a bit.

"Wow, look at you!"

Matt smiled, "And look at you! It's good to see you."

"Thanks. Oh, guys, this is Leslie. Leslie, this is my cousin, Steve, and our friend, Matt."

I motioned between her and the guys. Steve flashed a flirty grin at Leslie, and went to kiss her hand. Matt and I rolled our eyes as Leslie seemed to melt under his gaze.

"Ahem. I believe that there are groceries to be tended to," Mrs. Norberry spoke up. Then, Jason walked out followed by two other men I hadn't seen before.

Jason walked up to me and said, "It's nice to see you again, Melanie. How are you? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, thank you. Are these the rest of the Guardians?"

"Oh, yes. This is Michael Landry and Virgil Griffith. They are old friends of mine." Jason motioned to the two men standing beside him. The one I assumed was Michael was dressed business casually, wore glasses, and had a very bad comb over paired with a beer belly. Virgil, on the other hand, reminded me of Gollum from Lord of the Rings, but, of course, he looked much healthier and taller, and also wore glasses.

I shook their hands and said, "It's nice to meet you both."

Virgil spoke up, "I'll say. It's nice to meet the girl everyone keeps talking about. Oh, by the way, what have you been craving lately? Any weird dreams yet? Morning sickness? Because I have this theory-"

Jason sighed, "Must you interrogate the girl? She's been through enough as it is; does she need to be probed by you as well?"

Virgil shrugged, "I am a man of science, Jason. That's how we ended up here in the first place. I'm just curious as to how she is faring carrying the offspring of two superpowered parents. It's important to look at things from a scientific perspective."

Michael piped up, "You're always looking at things from a scientific perspective. The girl is pregnant; leave her alone. This is the last thing she needs to worry about."

So, yeah, they continued to banter and rant on while I slipped away to look for Andrew. I checked downstairs first, before checking the upstairs. Sure enough, I found him in my bedroom, looking out on the balcony. I slowly walked up behind him, and wrapped my arms around him.

A faint smile spread across his features and he turned to look at me. We stared into each other's eyes for a moment before our lips met in a light kiss. "Are you okay?" Andrew asked once we broke apart.

"Yes, I'm fine. The baby's fine, too. I'm just happy to be outta there. I'm happy that I'm here with you."

Andrew turned his head away from me and mumbled, "You know this won't last long. He's gonna come after you. After us. And that's when I'll kill him."

"No, you're not killing anyone. He hasn't done anything to me, and we're safe here. If we need to relocate, then we're do that."

"Mel-"

"Andrew. I don't want to fight. I just want things to be-"

"What, normal? Things are never going to be normal anymore, Mel. And I'm gonna do whatever I need to to make sure that you and _my_ child are safe! Why can't you understand that?"

"I can understand that! But not everything can be solved with violence and power, Andrew! And this is not about YOU!"

By this time ,we were in each other's faces, glaring at each other. I groaned and went to lock myself in the bathroom. I just let the tears fall. I didn't even try to fight them.

Xxx

**Third Person POV**

"Is everything okay in here? You guys were pretty loud. Is Mel crying in there?" Matt asked as he entered the bedroom followed by Steve.

"Aww, did Romeo get into his first fight with Juliet? Thou has doneth a bad thing, Romeo," Steve commented.

Andrew said, "Steve, this isn't a time for jokes. Some psycho out there wants to kill us, and Mel, and _my_ kid. I can't just sit back and let that happen. I have to go after him. I _need_ to find him."

"Andrew, man, calm down. Come sit down before you get yourself involved in something that you can't get out of. You already have a kid on the way, you don't need anything else on top of that," Matt said as he sat down with his cousin on the bed.

"But, you don't understand, Matt! She thinks everything's fine the way it is. But its not. We can't just be the same as we were. We can't go back. I can't be the person that she wants me to be."

Steve spoke up, "See, there's your problem. Andrew, Mel is on a hormonal rollercoaster, so she is acting more like a woman than usual. That's how women are. They want you to change, but everything else to stay the same. You just found out the hard way. And you're not dealing with just any woman. You're dealing with a pregnant woman. Just face it; you're not gonna win."

"What are you talking about, Steve?"

"Did nobody tell you? Women are crazy. We're always wrong, they're always right. And when a woman is mad, espciallly a pregnant one, you don't want to be on the receiving end of that. So, I suggest that you suck it up, and apologize."

Matt mumbled, "He's right, man. You need to be there for her and your kid so it would be best not to argue with her."

Steve motioned for Matt to follow him out so that Andrew could talk to Mel, but before he left, he said, "By the way, I've kinda been making this list of baby names for you guys. I was thinking that if it's a boy, then SJ."

Matt asked, "SJ?"

"Yeah, Steve, Junior. But if it's a girl, then Stevieana." Andrew sighed and shook his head. He also covered his mouth to keep from laughing.

Mel yelled from behind the bathroom door, "Forget it! We are not naming our kid after you!"

"I figured Mel would protest. I'll come up with some more for you later," Steve winked as Matt grabbed his arm and led him out of the room.

**An: So, Andrew and Mel had their first real fight. I kinda needed that to since they haven't really fought and I wanted to show that they're a REAL couple like everyone else. There will probably be more fights later. I also really liked this scene with Steve giving Andrew girl advice and suggesting baby names. It was kinda random, but fitting. (Really Steve? SJ?) Steve also won't be letting up on the baby naming for a while. **

**Next chapter will have a little action and suspense to make up for lack of it in this chapter. Anyways, please review! **

**BTW, make sure to vote in the poll!**


	7. Chapter 7: Hallucinations and Forcefield

**Chapter 7**-Hallucinations/Force Field

"Mel, will you please come out? I just-I just wanna talk," Andrew mumbled from behind the door.

I cleaned up my face with a small towel, and opened the door. "What?"

"I want to apologize. You're right; you and the baby are my top priority right now. But, if something happens to you, I will do what needs to be done."

I sighed and buried my face in his chest. Andrew paused, but soon, he wrapped his arms around me. "I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have yelled at you. These pregnancy hormones make me crazy, so half the time, I don't even know why I'm yelling or crying. But I love you, you know that. We're gonna be okay."

Andrew smiled and rubbed my stomach. Then, he leaned down and kissed me. My fingers tightened in his hair, and his hold on me tightened. With my hormones ablaze, I could feel my body heat up with desire. Once the door was locked, it didn't take any time for us to start ripping each other's clothes off. I hadn't felt this alive in a while, and it felt good to be back with him again.

Xxx

_I couldn't breathe. It was dark. My heart was pounding in my ears. I heard screams, so close, but so far away. I moved my arms but I was trapped. I kept moving my hands around until I hit something hard in front of me._

_I kept beating on it until my hand shot through. I was buried until two feet of dirt. Someone had buried me alive. I made the hole as big as I could and climbed out. Dirt escaped my lungs as I coughed for about 5 minutes straight. _

_My hands flew to my stomach. My baby was gone. I heard a choking noise and looked ahead of me. Andrew had his back to me, and there was a small child standing next to him. There was a woman choking on the ground, and then the light left her eyes. _

_I gasped and reached out for Andrew. But then, he disappeared. Suddenly, Carter appeared in front of me, his eyes menacing. The child appeared by his side, but its face was hidden in the shadows and a hoodie covered its head, so I couldn't tell if the child was a boy or a girl. Then, Carter whispered in the kid's ear, and smiled at me. The child raised its tiny hand, and blood started pouring out of my eyes and mouth. My screams pierced the cold, night air…_

"_Mel! Mel, wake up!"_

My eyes flew open, and I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. I was shivering from the fear and hot tears fell from my eyes. Andrew helped me sit up, and started rubbing my back.

I heard footsteps and loud bangs erupted from the other side of the door. "Mel! Andrew! What's going on?" Matt asked from the other side.

"We're coming in!" Steve yelled frantic. The door unlocked and flew open. I distinctly pulled the covers up to hide my swollen breasts and yelped, "Steve!"

Everyone was standing in the doorway, either in a fight stance or holding an object. Once they realized there was no danger, it got awkward pretty fast, especially since Andrew and I were still naked.

"Oh, well, this is awkward. Okay, everybody out," Leslie spoke up, and the Guardians followed her lead back downstairs, with smirks clearly written on their faces.

"I'm sorry, guys; I just…had a really bad dream. But, I'm okay, really, you can go now," I said as calmly as I could. But really, I just wanted to crawl underneath the covers and never come out.

Andrew asked, "Steve, why do you have a bat?"

Steve shrugged, "That's not important. I'm just curious as to what's going on here. I mean, you've barely been here for 3 seconds before you decide to-"

"Steve!" Mrs. Norberry interrupted.

"She's fine, I think we should leave," Matt said as he left the room, Steve and Mrs. Norberry trailing behind him.

I groaned and laid back down, covering my head with the blanket. "I'm never coming back out. Come get me when the kid graduates college," I whined. Andrew laughed and I joined in with him.

Xxx

It took a while to get past the awkwardness, but Leslie, who had collected a couple of pregnancy books, explained that strange dreams were normal, as well as my over-active sex drive. And over the next month, along with my ever-expanding belly and appetite, things were actually pretty peaceful.

Now that I was 18 weeks, I could start to feel my baby move around. It actually scared me to death; since it just made the whole I'm-going-to-a-mother-soon become very real. I had to also deal with the appearance of stretch marks, swelling, and heartburn whenever I ate.

Andrew, on the other hand, was dealing with it in his own way, I guess. I caught him researching or watching videos on the computer, as well as reading some of the pregnancy books. I tried to read one to have an idea of what to expect, but I flipped out when I read the chapter about hermaphrodites.

Xxx

The next week, Andrew, Matt, and I were in the waiting room at a nearby ob-gyn's office, thanks to Virgil. He managed to hack the office's computer and create aliases for Andrew and me so that we could get an ultrasound.

"So when can you find out the sex of the baby?" Matt asked one morning.

"Soon enough. But I'm not sure if I wanna know or not," I replied as I flipped through a magazine. I shifted in my chair once more to ease the pain of my back.

Since I could no longer wear my jeans anymore, I was now wearing one of Leslie's sundresses. It was cute, but it didn't look right on me since I had started to show. And now, I had to pee. Again.

"How long is this going to be? I really need to go," I mumbled.

Andrew got up and went to the desk to ask the nurse how much longer we needed to wait to see Dr. Norman. Matt continued playing Angry Birds in his iPod, but occasionally stopped to glance around the room.

"Oh, there you are! Bout' time you got here with my Mikki D's. Gimme gimme," I squealed as Leslie and Steve appeared with my lunch in tow.

I had been craving for a cheeseburger, and sent them out to get one about an hour ago, even though McDonalds' was right next door. Then, I noticed that Leslie's lip gloss was smeared, and lip gloss stains were all over Steve's mouth and neck.

"Well, I can see that you two have been busy. Steve, you have a little something on your mouth," I snickered. Steve rushed to wipe it off with his jacket sleeve, while Leslie just looked at the ground, guiltily.

However, when I reached for the bag, she snatched it away. "Not until after your appointment, young lady," she said before handing me an apple to snack on.

"Okay, Richard and Robin Hood? The doctor is ready for you," the nurse announced.

"Robin Hood? Wha-STEVE!" I whined, appalled.

Steve smirked, "Sorry, I couldn't help myself. SJ isn't looking so bad now, is it?"

Before I could retaliate, Andrew put his hands on my shoulders and steered me away from Steve. "You can get him back later, ok?" Andrew whispered in my ear.

"That's why you're my favorite, even though you basically ruined my figure."

Xxx

When we all returned to the house, everyone started asking questions about our visit to the doctor's. It suddenly seemed as if it wasn't me and Andrew's baby, but everybody's baby.

"Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Does it have any strange anomalies?"

"Have you guys picked a name?"

"What does it look like?" So on and so forth.

Finally, I sat down on the couch in front of the TV and said, "I asked the doctor not to tell us what it is, the baby's perfectly healthy, and no, we haven't picked out a name yet. Can I please just rest? The little gremlin has started kicking me now, and it just gave me a little kick in the ribs."

Leslie perked up, "It's started kicking? When? Where?"

She bent down on her knees so that her head was level with my stomach and I took her hand and placed right along my left side, where the baby had kicked me again. It started moving around a little, and she jumped slightly when she felt a soft kick.

"Wow. That is amazing. What does it feel like to you?" she asked.

I shrugged, "It feels like you have gas all the time. But really, it's just him or her moving around in there. I started to feel the kicking a few days ago. Sometimes I can feel it; sometimes it feels almost like gas."

Andrew came into the room and handed me a bottle of water. Then, he sighed, "Steve just told me about his new list of baby names. And it's worse than the last one."

I groaned and on cue, Steve barged in with a post-it on his hand. "Okay, I know that you don't want to know what the baby is yet, but I got a new list of names for you," he sang.

"You love torturing me, don't you? But alright, let's hear it," I sighed.

Matt sat down on the armrest of the couch and shook his head. "Okay, if it's a boy, Rocky. If it's a girl, then, wait for it…Bikini."

"Bikini?" Matt asked.

"Yeah, it's goes on a girl, and it's unique. Oh, hey, that's another name, Unique, which fits since if you think about who her or his parents are."

"Steve, I'm gonna say this because I love you. There is no way _in hell_ that I am naming my kid Bikini. But, I do like Rocky a little bit."

Steve grinned, "Yes! So does that mean it's a boy?"

Andrew replied, "Your guess is as good as mine. _I_ wanted to know, but _she_ wouldn't let me."

"Andrew, you are _so_ whipped, man," Matt laughed.

Xxx

A few hours later, I took a nap on the couch, while everyone else went out for a while. Mrs. Norberry wasn't feeling too good, so she went to pick up some medicine, while the Guardians took the boys out into the woods and Leslie tagged along.

The sound of a glass being dropped caused me to sit right up with a start. I caught my breath so that the baby would stop moving around.

I made my way into the kitchen, and noticed Mrs. Norberry breathing frantically, and clutching the kitchen counter. Her neck and the side of her face were glistening with sweat. I picked up her prescription bottle and it was empty, since most of the pills were scattered along the counter and floor. I set the bottle back down, and slowly approached her.

"Mrs. Norberry, are you alright?" I asked as I placed a hand on her shoulder.

She took a deep breath, and reached for something hidden behind a washcloth. "AAAHH!" I screamed as she lunged at me with a knife.

I ran to the other side of the island counter and asked, "Mrs. Norbery, what are you doing? It's me, Melanie! Don't you remember me?"

"DEVIL!" she roared as she threw the knife in my direction. I ducked, but the knife still managed to cut me on my shoulder as it hit the wall behind me.

I clutched my arm as it started to bleed, but continued to run as fast as I could into the den. Mrs. Norberry had found another knife and was hot on my trail. I felt like one of the girls in the _Scream_ movies.

"Mrs. Norberry, stop! It's me! What are you doing?" I yelled as I took shelter behind the bookcase.

My hands reached deep inside the pocket of my sweater, and I pulled out my phone. I texted 911 to Leslie and prayed that her phone was on. _What was going on?_ Mrs. Norberry was the sweetest lady I knew, and she had been such a big help to me. Something didn't make sense. It had to have been those pills she took, I bet. I wonder who-

"BLOODY DEVIL! ABOMINATION!" Mrs. Norberry growled as she shook the bookshelf. I crawled out from behind the desk and headed for the living room. As I passed it, one of the flower vases caught on fire and so did the one next to it. If I made it to the stairs, then I could lock myself in my room until help arrived.

"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE ME!" she howled as she threw another knife at me.

However, this time something different happened. I spun around as fast as I could and put my hands up in front of my body in a defensive position. The outline of a thin, curved shape emerged from my hands and pushed itself outward to cover my body. The knife ricocheted off of the shape and dropped to the floor.

Before I could process what I did, Andrew flew through the front door and sent Mrs. Norberry flying into the wall behind me. She dropped to the floor with a thud, blood starting to drip down her face.

I ran over to her and placed my hands on her head. Sure enough, the bleeding stopped and she began to regain consciousness. Andrew crept closer, his face full of rage, but I put my hand up to stop him. The curved shape reappeared instantly, and he couldn't get through it.

Matt, Steve, and the others finally showed up and took in the scene in front of them. "What happened here?" Jason asked as he put the fires out.

"She tried to kill Mel," Andrew growled, pointing a finger at the partially conscious woman that I was healing.

"Is that true?" Leslie asked bewildered. I noticed that she was clutching Steve's arm quite tightly.

I nodded. "Yes, she attacked me. But look," I pulled down my sweater and dress strap to show that my shoulder had healed, now there was faded scar, "I healed. Andrew saved me in time, but he threw her into the wall. She's alright, though. I've healed her."

"Why would you save her after she tried to kill you?" Andrew demanded.

"Because she didn't mean to. I believe that the pills she took made her hallucinate. She has never ever attacked me before," I explained.

"Wait, Mrs. Norberry did say that she wasn't feeling good. And I saw her leave before we did," Leslie spoke up.

"That means that she must've got a bad batch or something," Matt commented.

"Or, someone tampered with her prescription," Michael continued.

"But who would do that?" Steve asked.

"Carter would." Jason, Leslie, and I said in unison.

**AN: So yeah, Mel has a new power! And Carter's onto them! What do you think will happen next? **

**Please Review!**


	8. Chapter 8: Traitor

**AN: Sorry that it's been almost a month since I updated. I got so caught up in my other stories for awhile, plus I'm preparing to return to college in a few weeks. But this story will be finished, I promise. Thanks for all of the reviews and story/fav alerts! I'm really glad that this sequel is going well. **

**Chapter 8-**Traitor

"Are you sure this is safe? I mean, we've been at this for months and I still haven't gotten this. Plus, all this standing up is making me have to go pee," I whined to Jason and Steve as they positioned themselves on either side of me in a nearby clearing.

"I'll say. Your belly looks like a pumpkin. Have you guys even picked out a name yet?" Steve said aloud.

I shook my head. "No, we still don't know what it is yet. It's driving Andrew crazy, which just makes me stress out. Then, it makes the baby squirm around, which just makes me pee. It's like a never-ending cycle these days."

"Okay, you two, enough chitchat. It's time to focus. This will be a very short session, Melanie, I promise," Jason said to us.

I sighed and nodded at him to continue. He motioned with his hands for our training session to begin. Ever since Mrs. Norberry attacked me, we had been having these training sessions since I had to explain to them what happened. The first couple of sessions were great, but then, Jason and Virgil started pushing me to expand the force field from myself. It worked for a short time, but then it would snap back to me like an elastic.

Leslie and Michael were currently at the house, trying to hack into Biotech's mainframe once more. However, it never worked since their spyware was top notch. It was like trying to hack into the CIA. Mrs. Norberry, on the other hand, was sent to stay with some family up north. She no longer had hallucinations like before, but the toxin had given her slight brain damage, so she would forget things easily.

I snapped back to reality as I heard a whooshing sound overhead, and Jason took off into the sky. Steve and I glanced around to see where our 'threat' would come from. A few minutes passed, and nothing.

"Okay, I get that we're supposed to be taken off guard, but how long is this gonna-" Steve was cut off by Andrew, who flew out from the trees and tackled him to the ground. Andrew and I laughed as Steve tried to catch his breath.

Andrew stood up and helped him up. Steve dusted himself off and glared, "That was not cool, man! And Mel, I thought that you were supposed to be protecting me?"

I shrugged and lowered my hands as the barrier dissolved. "I didn't have time to think about saving both of us. You distracted me, and I put the barrier around myself as a reflex. We've told you a million times, Steve; you cannot distract me!"

"Yeah, yeah, you say that every time. But when that kid comes, do you think that 'reflex' of yours will save it when Carter comes after him? Or her?" Steve asked.

"I don't know! Look, let's just try this again. This time, Steve, you come after us," I suggested.

Steve rolled his eyes and jogged into the woods. Matt lowered himself down from the sky and positioned himself on my other side, while Andrew took my hand.

"Where's Steve?" Matt whispered to me.

"He's the attacker, so I have to be careful. Plus, Andrew got him pretty good, so he's kinda pissed," I answered as my eyes darted from the trees to the clear blue sky above my head.

"It might also have something to do with his fight with Leslie last night," Matt told me.

Steve and Leslie had a fight? That was pretty unusual. I mean, couples fight; Andrew and I fought every now and then, but not Leslie and Steve. Despite the 7 year age difference, they got along pretty well.

Out of nowhere, I saw Steve fly toward us, but this time I mentally prepared. I threw my hands out, and immediately the barrier appeared. I used my mind to will it out towards Andrew and Matt. Steve collided with my barrier and fell to the ground on his butt. We all laughed.

"I DID IT!" I exclaimed and then I hugged Andrew and Matt.

Xxx

It was very quiet at the house as night approached us. Steve and Leslie had gone out for dinner, and the Guardians took Andrew and Matt out for a short practice session. I went upstairs to sleep and was out for a while.

The sound of shattering glass awoke me from my sleep, but I couldn't move my body. I was able to turn my head and cried out, "Andrew!"

The door opened and Leslie walked through, clad in all black clothes. She held up a needle and asked in a sarcastic tone, "Feeling a little stiff, Mel?"

"Leslie? Wha-What is going on? What have you done to me?"

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. They were cold and hard. "It's a concentrated dose of a paralytic toxin that my team whipped up especially for you. I have been waiting for this for a long time, and now everything is starting to fall into place."

I glanced around and saw several guys with guns and black suits shuffle down the hallway. All of sudden there were voices and the house shook violently. I let out a whimper of pain as the baby starting moving around frantically in my womb. Andrew was here.

"Where's…Steve?" I managed to breathe out after my kid kicked me in the ribs.

Leslie tilted her head and inched toward me. She kneeled down and whispered, "I stabbed him in the gut, Mel. And then, I left him to die."

"NO! YOU BITCH!" I screamed as tears ran down the side of my face. Steve couldn't be dead, he couldn't.

She stood up and said, "You really think that Carter, _Carter of_ _all people_, orchestrated this? No, he was too much of a wimp. I had to motivate him to keep up the charade. _Persuade him._ Sadly, our mother had to pay the price, but-"

"_You killed your mother_?" I asked horrified. Who was this person? What was happening?

Leslie turned away from me, but she didn't answer. Then, she recomposed herself and called for two men to take me away. And I couldn't even fight them off.

I just kept crying and screaming, "ANDREW! MATT! ANYONE! DON'T LET THEM TAKE ME!"

The baby was still thrashing around inside me, clearly terrified by the sudden movements, my screaming, and Andrew straining himself to try to save me. But it was no use. I was paralyzed.

I had no choice but to let them put me in a helicopter and take me away, the helicopter's Biotech logo fresh in my mind.

Xxx

**Third Person POV**

Even though everyone else was against killing, Andrew wasn't. Whoever stood in his way was going to die by his hand. The anger that he had kept locked away for the past several months was finally unleashed and he couldn't contain it anymore. It was like a wild animal inside of him, driving him and igniting his soul with pure rage.

They had waited too long, and therefore, dropped their defenses. Jason had agreed with Andrew that they should move Melanie to another hideaway since she was nearing the end of her pregnancy, but everyone else was too comfortable, Melanie included.

So, Andrew had decided to run away with her anyway, but now it was too late. They had her. Carter had her. And…Leslie. The one person who had they had thought to trust the most had been the one to have been deceiving them all along. All Andrew wanted to do was rip her head off.

Jason didn't know what to feel, but everyone else was angry. And hurt. And violated. And guilty. They had left Melanie alone again, when she was vulnerable, and therefore, she was an easy target.

Jason had known that the girl was in trouble when he saw he heard the helicopter pass over them. Andrew was the first one to take off toward the house and the rest followed. Several men with guns emerged from the chopper and entered the house. Andrew shattered the glass window and flew through, taking out several of the men. Leslie came downstairs and motioned for the men to take him out.

Jason followed, lifting a small group of three and sending them out through the front door. His jaw dropped when Leslie came up behind him and (literally) stabbed him in the back. She whispered, "Was this how you pictured your own daughter stabbing you in the back?"

Jason gasped for air and some blood spilled out of his mouth. "What have you done?" he choked out. The others were still fighting off the intruders so their little exchange was being ignored for now. Jason coughed out some more blood and started to feel his body weaken.

"You think that you can gain all this power, disappear for 12 years, and just come back into our lives like nothing happened? Well, you can't, Dad, not without repercussions. I have been waiting for this moment for years. Now, it's done. I have everything that I need, and you can't stop me."

"This…isn't…your…destiny. You…don't…have…to…do…this," Jason choked out. Leslie withdrew her knife and Jason crumpled to the ground. "Oh yes, I think I do," she sneered before kicking him in the gut. Then, she took off upstairs.

Jason couldn't get up off the ground; he was in so much pain. Melanie's screams hurt his ears, but she was needed them. And he couldn't save her; he couldn't even try to. Then, the screams got further and further away as the last man fell to the ground unconscious.

Blood, bullets, glass, wood, and bodies were strewn in and around the house. Michael rushed to Jason's side, even though he was had been shot in the leg. Michael checked Jason's injury and determined that he didn't have long. Virgil checked Matt's pulse since he had been knocked unconscious just a few minutes beforehand.

Andrew limped from downstairs, since one of the men had tackled him and nearly broken his leg, and his face was contorted with rage and sadness. Melanie was gone, and he had no clue where she was. Maybe his father was right, maybe everything was his fault. He had failed Melanie again by not being there for her, just like he had failed his mother. Andrew sat down on the stairs and put his face in his hands.

Virgil handed Michael the serum that he had made from Melanie's blood, and Michael stuck Jason in the arm. Jason let out a cry of pain, and his body shook violently. Then, it stopped. Jason opened his eyes and looked down. The bleeding had stopped and he sat up.

"Wha-"

"We collected a sample from Melanie's blood, and isolated the genes that trigger the healing process. Then, we conducted some experiments and made this serum. We made many more duplicates of it as backup," Michael answered.

There was a whooshing sound and a loud thud followed it out on the front porch. Everyone, except Matt, headed outside and sighed in relief at Steve.

"Hey, guys, wha-what I'd miss?" Steve croaked before passing out.

Xxx

**Melanie's POV**

When I awoke, I was in a hospital bed, my hands and legs constrained. The room they put me in resembled a normal hospital room, but when I looked out the window, several eyes stared back at me.

I heard someone groan beside me, and turned my head. "Mrs. Norberry! What are you doing here? Did they get you two?"

She raised up her head, and my eyes widened in horror at the sight of her. Her lip was bruised and she had a bandage over her left eye. She also had several scratches and cuts on her chest and arms. When they had come for her, she obviously put up a mean fight.

Her eyes adjusted and she took me in. "Melanie! Oh, Melanie, what have they done to you? Are you okay? I can't believe they got you too!"

"I wanted to fight, but Leslie paralyzed me so I couldn't. Andrew tried to save me but it was too late. We were already too far away," I said as my voice got smaller and smaller.

"Leslie? What does she have to do with this? I thought she was on our side?"

I shook my head. "No, she has been behind the whole thing. She set us up, set us all up. She's been working with Carter the whole time, I believe. I bet she copied those files and put Carter's name on them, to make us believe that we couldn't trust him. Then, she sent us to her uncle's house, someplace far away, but easily accessible. She made me believe that she was my friend so that I would trust her, and it wouldn't stress me out to be living with a traitor. Now, I'm three weeks away from my due date."

Mrs. Norberry took a while to put the pieces together and then she said, "She was waiting. She had Carter scare us, by giving me those drugs, but she was waiting on you. They must've pushed her if they sent her with enforcements."

"They?"

"BioTech. They must want your baby. Why do you think she was so interested in your pregnancy the whole time? She was monitoring you, making sure that nothing went wrong."

"And she killed Steve. And her mother," I sniffled as my emotions caught up with me.

"Oh my god."

I nodded and Mrs. Norberry started crying with me. Then, she reached over and patted my hand. I knew that she could free me if she could, but they were watching us. There was even a camera in the top right-hand corner of the room.

The door flew open and Leslie strolled in, dressed in a suit. A doctor followed her and she nodded at him. He sighed and motioned for Mrs. Norberry to move aside.

"What's going on?" I glared, my face stained with tears.

"I'm on a tight schedule, so Dr. Freedman is going to induce you. Starting now. Congratulations, Melanie! You're going to be a mother soon," Leslie taunted, a sinister smile on her lips.

**AN: So what did you guys think of the bombshell that I dropped on you guys? Did any of you think that Leslie was actually the bad guy? What do you think will happen next? Please Review!**


	9. Chapter 9: Karen Loretta Detmer

**Chapter 9**-Karen Loretta Detmer

Labor was a complete bitch, besides Leslie. I screamed out in pain as my lower abdonomin felt as if it were being ripped apart as another contraction rippled through my body. Mrs. Norberry held my hand and Dr. Freedman announced, "Okay, you're about 2 centimeters dilated since I broke your water. You're doing, great, Melanie."

"Just make it stop! Just get this thing out of me! I WANT IT OUT!" I yelled.

Four hours later, I was almost 4 centimeters when horror struck. The baby's heart monitor started to slow at a brisk pace and I started freaking out. "What's going on? What's happening?" I asked Mrs. Norberry.

"Doctor! Doctor, you have to hurry! The baby's heart rate has dropped significantly. Do something!" Mrs. Norberry yelled at Dr. Freedman.

"This isn't good. Melanie, we're going to have to do a C-section as of right now," Dr. Freedman answered as he ushered several nurses and BioTech employees to move me out of the hospital bed.

"WHAT?!" I screamed out.

Xxx

I felt like a frog on dissection day in Biology class as Dr. Freedman and another doctor poked around on my insides to try and get my baby out of me. Of course, I was too drugged up to feel anything, but imagining it in my head made it seem all too real.

Leslie was wearing scrubs and her face was hid behind a mask, but I could practically see the smile on her face. I had to stay calm though and Mrs. Norberry patted my hand and stroked my head.

I had imagined this day in my head many times over when I was younger, but it was very different. My husband would be here, keeping me calm, and I would look forward to seeing my baby, not scared shitless that he/she would be snatched out of my arms the instant I got to hold them, before being dragged off to become a science experiment.

Finally, a loud wail hit my ears and I started crying as Dr. Freedman announced, "It's a girl!"

Leslie moved to get the baby as the doctors cleaned me up and stitched my stomach up. Leslie came by and bent down so that I could look at my baby.

She was covered in blood and other fluids, but I still loved her regardless. It felt as if my heart had grown two sizes. I couldn't believe that I had a daughter now. Soon, I felt myself fall into a dark, dreamless sleep.

Xxx

When I woke up, I felt sore around my midsection, and then my hands flew to my stomach. It was still slightly round, but empty. Then, I remembered that I had a baby girl out there who needed me. I needed to see her, to know that it wasn't just a dream.

I asked, groggily, "Where is she? Where's my baby?"

My eyes adjusted as I came out of my sleep, and I saw Mrs. Norberry rocking a small pink bundle in her arms. "She's right here. They said she would have some breathing complications for a while, but she'll grow up to be a healthy little girl. Here's your mama," she cooed to the baby as she handed her to me.

Once she was nestled safely in my arms, her eyes slowly opened. They were the exact shade of blue as Andrew's. I looked closely and noticed that she had my cheeks, eyebrows, and Andrew's nose and lips. On top of her head, there were soft black curls to complement her pale skin. She was the perfect combination of us both.

"She's so beautiful," I cooed as I started to cry again.

"I know. What are you going to name her?" Mrs. Norberry asked.

I shrugged. I had put it off for so long. I just wanted Andrew to be here, to be able to see this little miracle we created together. Then, it hit me.

"Karen. Karen Loretta Detmer. You know, after his mom and my mom," I sniffed.

"I like it," Mrs. Norberry agreed as Karen wrapped her tiny hand around Mrs. Norberry's index finger.

"Wait, why is it so quiet?" I asked, glancing around. There were no peering eyes in the window.

"Leslie convinced them to lie low for a while. Plus, there was some commotion on the outskirts of the facility. Wait, you don't think?" Mrs. Norberry looked at me with a questioning look.

All of sudden, the building shook and I shielded Karen best I could. She started crying loudly, and I tried to quiet her down the best I could.

"Yep, I think they're here," I grinned.

**AN: So yeah, I've never had a baby before, but I've watched my fair share of TLC shows to get an insight into what's it like. And some of this chapter was inspired by the story of how I was born. In the next chapter, the guys will return, but this had been rattling my brain and I had to get it out. **

**Please Review!**


	10. Chapter 10: Retaliation

**AN: Sorry that it took me almost a month to update. I got a little bit of writer's block for a bit, plus I started school again, but I'm living in a dorm this year. Then, we got hit with Hurricane Isaac. But all's good now, and I'm due back at school next week. Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews and fav/story alerts! I'm really glad that you guys have liked this story. It might not be as "deep" or action-packed as other superhero stories that I've come across, but it is in its own category, original. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 10-**Retailiation

Of all the people in the world that they thought would help them out of their bleak situation, the last one they expected would be Carter Simmons. But he was the only one on the inside, the only one who clearly knew Leslie and BioTech's intentions for Melanie and the baby.

After Michael had administered the serum to all of them and they recovered, Steve revealed that he had stolen Leslie's cell phone during the tussle after their dinner date when she tried to kill him. He managed to get away before she caused any more damage. Now that he had learned what Leslie had done, he was angry just like the rest of them. All they needed was to come up with a plan. Then, the phone rang.

Jason picked it up. "Listen, son, I don't know what you're planning, but once we get down there, it won't be good for you. Just give up Melanie and the baby, and there won't be any bloodshed."

"You were always trying to be the peacemaker, Jason. But, I'm not here to chastise you. I called to offer my help."

Jason sat up on the couch and put the phone on speaker. "Why would you want to help us, son? After everything you've done to us? Why the sudden change of heart now?"

There was a slight pause. "Because I never wanted to be a part of this. Not really. Leslie blackmailed me. When I threatened to leave the company and expose her and BioTech, she had some goons kidnap Mom. She froze all of my accounts. She threatened to expose me if I exposed her. I was in a tight spot with no way out. But when I found out that Leslie wanted to induce Melanie, so BioTech could have the child to experiment on, I decided that I don't want to be a part of this anymore. I don't care what Leslie does to me now. I want to do the right thing."

"Why should we trust you?" Steve asked bitterly.

"Because I'm the only one who knows where they are and can get you access to them without causing World War III to break out. We don't have much time to talk. Melanie is surgery now. Can you leave in an hour?"

All of the men exchanged glances. It was do or die time, now.

* * *

Carter arranged everything without Leslie's knowledge, and Andrew had to give him credit. Once they arrived outside of Pensacola, Carter gave them specific instructions on how to enter the facility unnoticed. It was safer this way, especially since there was a newborn involved.

Carter gave them another update, informing them that Melanie had now given birth, via C-Section. _The baby was a girl_. "I guess congratulation is in order, Detmer," Carter acknowledged.

Andrew smiled at the news, receiving congratulations from all around. He was a father now. He and Melanie had a daughter. He couldn't believe it, but as happy as it made him, it also caused him to become angrier since all he wanted was to slice Leslie's throat for taking her and Melanie away from him. Now he understood what Melanie meant before. All he wanted was for his daughter to be safe, just like she did.

Once they had found the BioTech van and uniforms, the men changed quickly and Virgil followed the GPS straight to the secret BioTech lab outside of town. Virgil handed his fake ID to the guard at the gate and once it was approved, they were allowed to enter.

Now the hard part; rescuing Melanie and the baby. They only had about an hour or so before BioTech was to relocate to Puerto Rico. Andrew barely waited for the van to stop before he jumped out of the back.

With his cap low on his head, shielding his eyes, he could become invisible. It was something he was used to in his old life. Now it was a skill he had to use in order to rescue his family.

Jason groaned when he noticed Andrew take off and disappear behind another van at the end of the garage. Jason and Steve followed him, while Matt, Michael, and Virgil kept guard of the van and looked out for Leslie.

Andrew weaved in and out of hallways and doors as cons piously as he could. He was lost, but struck gold when he heard a doctor and a scientist discussing Melanie and the baby. Melanie was due to wake up soon after the surgery, and allowed to see their daughter before Leslie took the baby away to Puerto Rico.

Andrew couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had to stop it and he didn't have much time. It was time for action. He bursted into the room and launched a guard out the window before turning his attention to the doctor and scientist. The scientist tried to pull out his taser, but Andrew noticed, and the scientist's body collided with a bookcase.

The doctor held up his hands in surrender. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Where is she? Where are the girl and the baby? Tell me where they are and I won't kill you," Andrew said with pure venom in his voice.

"They're on the 5th floor. Room 215. But you're gonna have a helleva time getting there though," the doctor replied.

"Why?" The doctor pointed towards a camera in the left-hand corner of the room.

Andrew growled in frustration before sending the doctor flying across the room. He let out a deep breath. It was nice to relieve some the anger that had been swelling in his chest. There was a noise from the door and Andrew braced himself, but it was only Jason and Steve.

"They know we're here, and they're coming for us. We need to leave. _Now_," Jason announced.

Andrew nodded, "I know. But we have to get Melanie and the baby first. Keep them distracted and I'll find them."

"I'm going with Andrew," Steve said as he followed Andrew out the window.

Jason braced himself for the legion of armed men that he would have to face alone.

* * *

**Melanie's POV**

I was a little better now since my body was healing itself, but it still hurt a little to move. I handed Mrs. Norberry the baby while I dug through a duffel bag and threw on a hoodie and jeans as quickly as I could. Once I tied up my sneakers, we were ready to leave.

However, the door was locked from the outside. "Ugh! Dammit, I so don't need this right now!" I yelled in frustration.

Then, I got an idea. I walked toward the end of the room and faced the two-way window. I put up my hands and my force field appeared. With all of my strength, I pushed the force field as hard as I could. Once it reached the window, I pushed it farther and harder, causing the glass to shatter. I let down my hands, and my force field retracted.

I climbed out first, and Mrs. Norberry handed Karen to me as she climbed out afterwards. Then, we made a run for it. The hallway seemed as if a tornado had run through it. Doors were practically ripped off the hinges, windows were shattered, the emergency lights were going off, and dead bodies and glass were everywhere.

I was terrified, but I kept going due to the crying newborn in my arms. Karen had quieted down, but she was still wiggling around in my arms. Her father must be around here somewhere.

Once we turned a corner, I spotted the stairs and figured that was our safest bet as the building shook once more. As we descended further and further, the fighting only got worse. Then, we heard the sound of people entering the stairway, and it was only a matter of time before they found us.

I noticed the door next to me led out into the garage and Mrs. Norberry motioned for me to go through it. The garage was huge and filled with nothing but large vans and trucks.

Once we entered, I ran into someone. "Matt! Oh my god, Matt! Thank goodness!"

Matt hugged me in response, and I noticed he was covered in blood. _But not his own blood._ I didn't even want to know how that happened.

Matt noticed the bundle in my arms and I peeled back the blanket so he could look at her. She stared at him with blue, curious eyes, and I could see Matt melt at the sight of her. "Aww! She's cute. What's her name?"

"Karen," I replied proudly.

"C'mon, you two. This isn't _The View._ We have to go!" Mrs. Norberry said, bringing us back to reality.

Matt nodded and started ushering us towards the van that Carter, of all people, had gotten for us. Apparently, he had switched sides now. He didn't want to be a part of Leslie's master plan anymore.

"But where's Andrew? And Steve?" I asked as I noticed Michael usher us over.

"They went to look for you, along with Jason. They were supposed to do it under the radar, but I guess that didn't turn out so well. Andrew was pretty devastated about your kidnapping," Matt explained as we climbed into the back of the van.

Once Matt sat down, I handed him the baby. "What are you doing, Melanie?" Matt asked incredulous.

"I'm going to find Andrew. I can't let him die in here. I won't let Karen grow up without her father," I replied.

As I prepared to jump back out, Mrs. Norberry stopped me. "I'll go," she said.

"Wha-No! You can't! You could die!"

"No, you could die! You are a mother now, Melanie. My children are grown; they have their own lives now. They don't need me anymore. But Karen needs you. And Andrew. By going out there, you risk that child growing up without both of her parents, and I refuse to let that happen!"

Mrs. Norberry pushed me back into the van and slammed the door in my face. Karen started crying and I rushed to Matt's side. He handed her back to me and I ordered him to turn his head away so I could feed her.

"What?"

"Matt, do you see any bottles or baby formula around here?" I asked.

It took him a minute, but then, he realized what I was saying. He turned his head and I lifted up my hoodie as Virgil started the van. Michael hopped in the seat next to him and I held Karen close to me as we backed out. She sucked on my breast greedily and I looked out the window as we drove through the lot.

Virgil rammed through various guards and BioTech employees who were brave enough to stand in our way. Finally, we reached the gate and speeded down the highway.

When we looked out the back window, the side of the facility that faced the highway went up in flames. I gasped in horror, and peered down at my baby. I lifted her up and patted her back as I continued to stare at the black smoke as it disappeared further and further from view.

* * *

**AN: Sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger, but there's about 2-3 more chapters left of this story. But, what do you guys think about a spinoff story starring Karen, Andrew and Melanie's daughter? She would an interesting character to write for, but I would have to see if I have time to do it. **


	11. Chapter 11: Resolution

**Chapter 11-**Resolution

"Where is she? WHERE IS LESLIE?" Andrew growled at the guard who he had restrained against a wall. The guard struggled to breathe as the chain around his neck tightened as each second passed.

Andrew's face was in a scowl and he was in no mood to hear the plea of some lowly guard dog. He wanted Leslie dead, simple as that. Steve was currently looking for Melanie and the baby, while Andrew was to take down another fleet of armed men. Frankly, he was getting tired of these guys trying to kill him with their useless weapons. They were no match for him.

The man let out a strangled noise and peered down at Andrew with terrified eyes. Then, the man looked up, and Andrew barely had time to react before a shot was fired near his head, followed by the sound of glass breaking. The man slumped to the ground unconscious as Andrew ducked behind a wall. He turned to find where the shot had come from.

Leslie had come out of her hiding place, no doubt, but Jason had managed to stop her. He was tired beyond belief, but took down the last guard before going to find Andrew and Steve. Then, he saw Leslie's silhouette sneak pass him into a staircase, and he followed her. Once she found Andrew choking one of her men in the fifth floor hallway, she took out her pistol and aimed it at his head. Without thinking, Jason sent her body through a nearby glass window, and all you could hear was the sound of her scream before her body collided with the concrete below.

Andrew slowly arose from his hiding place and stared back at Jason. Jason made brief eye contact with the boy, before taking his time to walk over to the window. Leslie's crumpled body lay motionless on the ground, surrounded by the last remaining guards and her own blood.

In the distance, sirens could be heard, and they only had a short time to make it out. Andrew made his way over to the window and stared down at Leslie's body. "I guess a thank you is in order, huh?" Andrew asked in a low voice.

Steve rounded the corner and Mrs. Norberry stopped to catch her breath. She had managed to run into Steve as she weaved in and out of rooms and hallways, trying to avoid the guards and dead bodies. Finally, she found Steve and quickly told him everything that happened. Now, they had found Andrew and Jason, and needed to catch up with the others before the authorities arrived.

"Hey! Look who I ran into! And she told me that Mel and the baby made it out with Matt and the others. We really need to get out of here. Do you know what they do to pretty guys like me in prison?" Steve said as he made his way over to the window.

He glanced down and covered his mouth with his hand. "Is that-"

"Yes, and you're right. We need to go," Jason finished.

While she stood nearby, Mrs. Norberry glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw one of the guards open his eyes. He reached for his gun, and as he pressed his finger on the trigger, she ran as fast as she could and tackled the man.

* * *

**Melanie's POV**

The safe house Carter set up for us was about a five hour drive from the facility. Karen had long gone off to sleep after I fed her, and was sleeping quite peacefully in my arms. I just stared at her and played with her little fingers, content and happy that we were alive, and that she was safe with me.

After a while, exhaustion caught up with me, and Matt offered to hold Karen as I slept on his shoulder, since we were sitting on a bench in the wide open space in the back of the van.

Soon, I felt the van stop moving, and awoke from my dreamless slumber. I rubbed my eyes, and smiled as Matt bounced Karen, who was now awake, in his arms.

"You'll be a good dad, someday, Matt," I grinned. Matt looked at me and rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to the baby.

The back doors opened and Michael helped me climb out. Matt came out after wards and handed Karen back to me. I realized we were in a parking garage, and Virgil motioned for us to follow him as he conversed with someone (I presumed was Carter) on a cell phone.

We followed him to the elevator, where he punched in a code. It opened and sent us up to the 11th floor. The elevator doors opened to reveal a modern, furnished loft. Everyone started gaping like a fish as we took in our new surroundings.

The place had a laid-back vibe to it, and was very clean and new. In the living room, a flat-screen hung on the wall above a fireplace in front of a black leather couch. In the dining room, there was a bar, with all black bar stools, and a circular glass dining room table with black leather seats. The walls were all white and there was a yellow rug in the living room and under the dining room table.

The kitchen resembled the one like the house in Georgia, only it had a gas stove. I checked the refrigerator and smiled as it was fully stocked. On a nearby counter, there were bottles and baby formula for Karen. I smiled even wider.

Once I made my way to the back, I found my room, which already had a crib set up. I set Karen inside of it, and went back into the kitchen to make her a bottle. Matt walked in and took a seat on the counter as I warmed up the water.

"Hey, are you okay?" Matt asked as he swung his feet back and forth.

"Yeah, I'll be okay. I'm just…worried about the others. We haven't heard anything yet. I just…I don't know."

I sighed, and finished making Karen's bottle before I retreated into my room. Matt followed me and watched as I fed Karen her bottle. "She looks like you, but she has Andrew's eyes," Matt commented.

"She has his nose and lips, too. But, I do see some of myself in her."

After a while, Matt went to his room to get some sleep, and I burped, changed, and dressed my baby in one of the onesies from my duffel bag before lying down with her on the huge bed. I began tickling her, and she smiled back at me, her eyes lighting up.

Andrew was still in my thoughts, but I hoped that he would make it out and find us so that he could finally meet her.

* * *

**Third Person POV**

Andrew was saddened by Mrs. Norberry's death, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Carter had secretly set up some explosives around the facility and set them off once they made it out safely. Carter didn't want any evidence left saying that he had any part of BioTech, and now none existed. The facility was blown to pieces, and the equipment that was going to be transferred to Puerto Rico was destroyed along with it, along with all of the files and documents as well.

Jason thanked his son as the elevator doors opened. Steve let out a whistle as he took in the apartment, and then headed for the kitchen. Andrew stepped into the apartment and looked around for Melanie. Matt spotted his cousin as he came out of the kitchen and engulfed him in a hug.

"I'm glad you made it out, man. You had us scared for a second," Matt said.

Andrew smiled slightly. Maybe he was wrong about everything before. Maybe there was a light at the end of the tunnel; you just had to look really hard for it and wait till the worst was over.

Matt noticed what Andrew was really looking for. "They're in the back. She looks like you guys, too. She looks like Mel, but she has your eyes. I sighed in relief."

Andrew playfully punched his cousin in the shoulder before slowly making his way to Mel's room. Mel was sleeping soundly on the bed, a small, squiggling form next to her. Andrew walked over to the bed and stared down at the baby. Carefully, he scooped her up in his arms, and was surprised that Matt was right. His blue eyes were perfectly copied into her face.

The baby let out a tiny hiccup, and Andrew smiled. She smiled a tiny smile back at him, and he couldn't believe that he could love someone almost instantly. He couldn't think of ever harming or letting anyone else hurt his baby.

_His daughter._

Andrew sat down on the bed, and Mel shifted. She cracked an eye and gasped when she realized that Andrew was there, holding their baby. She let out a squeal and hugged him the best she could without hurting Karen.

Happy tears streamed down her face, and she gave him a quick, desperate kiss before resting her head on his shoulder. "I named her Karen. Karen Loretta Detmer," she spoke after some time.

"After my mom?" Andrew asked, glancing at her.

She nodded. "What else was I going to name her? Plus, considering right after that, you guys starting attacking the facility, I didn't have that much time to think of something else."

"Karen. I like it. And…thank you, Mel."

"What for?" she asked, curious.

Andrew looked down at Karen, who had tightly wrapped her fingers around his index finger. "For giving me a family."

* * *

**AN: Please Review! The next chapter will be the Epilogue!**


	12. Chapter 12: Epilogue

**AN: This is it! The last chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 12-**_**Epilogue**_

I sipped my lemonade with a smile as I rubbed my giant belly with my free hand. The white sundress I wore rustled with the wind as I breeze went by as I read a book. Watching Andrew train Karen was very entertaining, and a great way to pass the time. At eight years old, she was a talented, smart, sweet, and sneaky young child. She also had a temper like her father, and she wasn't doubtful of herself with her powers either.

They were in the field in the backyard of the house in Georgia, the one Carter had given Andrew and I to live in after Karen's first birthday. Carter had exposed BioTech to the authorities, and they shut the company down and froze their assets. The investigation had closed since several of the Board members fled to South America. However, everyone else was arrested for illegal experimentation on humans.

We were free to live our lives, since everything regarding us had been destroyed. To make amends, Carter had given us all forged documents with new names and a bunch of blank checks. He was giving all of us a chance to start over, and live the lives we wanted to live. And I'm glad to say that every single one of us took it.

Matt had joined the Guardians, as he wanted to help people. It turns out that there are more of those glowing rock things out there than we thought, and now there were about fifteen of us walking around with superpowers. A few of them just refused to use their powers at all and lived normally, but the rest needed help controlling their powers. Matt liked to help people, and it helped him get closer to figuring out how we got our powers, why we became what we were. Plus, he ended up with a girlfriend, a shy twenty-something named Carly.

Steve, on the other hand, was living the high life, traveling the world with Carter, his new business partner, selling their line of high-fashion custom-made bikinis designed by Carter's new wife, Tanya. They were quite popular overseas, especially in Australia and Spain. Everytime Steve called to catch up; he was in a new country with a new supermodel girlfriend, and coming up with a new business venture. It wasn't the life plan he originally had in mind, but he wasn't complaining.

The Guardians were back in Tibet, but they kept in touch. Karen didn't know about them, and I wanted to keep it that way. They would raise too many questions, and I wasn't ready to tell her about what happened in the past, all of the events that occurred up to the day of her birth. I didn't want her to live in fear for what she was, and who she would become. I could at least give her a semi-normal childhood, and I wanted that for her unborn siblings as well.

The babies shifted inside of me again, making me wince in discomfort as one of the babies moved closer to my ribs. I was due in about a month, and everyone could not be more excited. Karen had already named them, Matt and Steve, after her two favorite 'uncles'.

However, they were fraternal twins, and one of them was a girl (but she didn't know that). Andrew and I had already picked out the actual names, Tommy and Tiana. The babies' room had been set up by Steve, Matt, Karen, and Carly while Andrew and I went for a check-up.

I fiddled with my wedding ring, and Karen's squeal of laughter brought me out of my thoughts. Andrew had her upside down, and was tickling her stomach. "Okay, okay, Daddy, you win!" she giggled.

Andrew smiled and set her back down onto her feet, and took her hand as they walked back to the porch. Then, she let go, and wrapped her arms around him and I beamed as Andrew kissed her forehead. I waved at them from behind the screen, and Karen let go of her father to run towards me. She ran through the door and engulfed me in a tight hug.

I noticed that her shoulder-length black hair had dirt and leaves in it, and her Bratz t-shirt and skirt had scorch marks on them. The soft, cherub face that was the spitting image of mine gave me a peck on the cheek before she kneeled down so that she was level with my enormous stomach. Andrew walked in, and I handed him the extra glass of lemonade that I set aside.

She placed her small hand on my belly, and cooed, "It's your big sister, Karen. Are they kicking you, Mommy?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm afraid it's naptime. I believe Steve has nestled himself by one of my lungs." I sat up a little and shifted in my seat.

One of the babies moved right afterwards, so I took her tanned hand and moved it over to where there was movement. Her light blue eyes lit up, and she sent me a gap-toothed grin. "He was uncomfortable, Mommy. Tiana was in his space."

My mouth fell open. "Wait, what did you just call her? We didn't tell you that the other one was a girl."

Karen looked down, guilty, "No, but Uncle Steve did. But I think I ruined it since he told Uncle Matt that he wanted to see the look on your face when you found out that I knew about my baby sister. Uncle Matt busted out laughing."

I let out a groan of frustration and said, "Sweetie, next time your uncles come by, I want you to set Uncle Steve's expensive tailored suit on fire for me. And I won't ground you since I asked you to do it."

"So, now Karen is a weapon? That's a little low for both of you," Andrew interjected

"Well, why does our daughter, and you for that matter, have scorch marks on your clothes?"

Andrew took a gulp, and shrugged guiltily. "I'm sorry, Mel, but our daughter is talented. And she needed to work on her aim. It's getting better. I told her that she isn't allowed to set things on fire out in public or at school, though. But, its okay, I stopped the fire from spreading too far into the woods this time."

"Karen, what did I tell you about using fire powers?"

Karen stopped whispering to my stomach and sighed, "Only use it in an emergency. Or when you ask me to. Sorry, Daddy."

"That's my girl. Now, go run your bath, it's starting to get dark out. I'll help you work on your science project, later, if the babies let me. If I can't, your Dad will help you, okay?"

Karen smiled and nodded before darting into the house. I glanced back at Andrew and said, "Just think, we have _two more_ of those on the way. If they end up as talented as Karen, we'll be homeless by next year."

Andrew let out a laugh and said, "I don't doubt it, but maybe the twins _will _be the normal ones in the family. It's enough having a pyro kinetic eight year old who can fly. I can only imagine what powers those two might end up with."

"Don't scare me like that, babe. But, I've been wondering that myself. Karen was showing her powers from the womb, and yet with these two all I get is silence. It's kinda unsettling," I said as I rubbed my stomach. Andrew nodded, and kissed my check as his hand caressed my belly.

It was a big mystery, a cloud that settled in my thoughts every day. But no matter what, Andrew and I would love and protect our children. This was our family now. I was still saddened that all of our real families thought that we were dead, but it was for their safety. There were still people out there who knew the truth about us, who had the means to come after us at any moment.

I glanced down at the floorboard beneath my worn-out flip-flop, where the flash drive was that contained the videos I had made for Karen, Tommy, and Tiana. When the time was right, then I would let them know the truth. They would know about everything.

But right now wasn't the time for it yet.

But if that day came, then they would be ready.

And every day, I pray, for their sakes, that it never comes.

_**THE END**_

* * *

**An: I hope you guys don't hate me for what I did with the ending. I had so many ideas, but not enough time to fit them all in, so I just had Mel kinda reflect on how much life has changed. I wanted to end it on a semi-happy note, since the future can be unpredictable and scary, plus, I'm debating on writing a spin-off. Not sure about it yet, as college, a possible move, the holidays coming up, and a new boyfriend have kept me busy. If I do decide to write it, you guys will the first ones to know about it. I wanna thank all of you guys for being awesome, and reviewing and alerting and favoriting and enjoying this story as much as I've had writing it. Thank you so much for staying with me on this journey from Kryptonite to Decode.**


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